Welcome

We meet at 9:30am on the 3rd Tuesday of the following months: January, April, June, September, October, and November at Knox United Church hall, Parksville, BC. We welcome new members.

“Grandmothers are now recognized as community experts and agents of change by governments and international aid agencies.” — from the Grandmothers Campaign, Stephen Lewis Foundation

Since our own founding in 2006, Oceanside Grandmothers to Grandmothers have campaigned to raise awareness of the impact of the AIDS pandemic on Africa and to raise funds for the grassroots projects of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. All funds we raise go to help grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa bring up their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren.

We work in a huge variety of ways, using our imaginations, skills, teamwork, and determination. Welcome to our website, which will introduce you to why we care, how we work, what we have achieved so far, and what we are planning next.

Why We Care: African grandmothers raise AIDS-orphaned grandchildren

“The AIDS pandemic has left millions of children orphaned by AIDS. Without hesitation or complaint, Africa’s grandmothers have stepped in to care for them. In fact, in many countries throughout southern Africa, it is estimated that between 40-60% of orphans live in grandmother-headed households. After burying their own adult children, they take on the responsibility of caring for their grieving grandchildren, often with little to no support and while coping with their own deteriorating health….

“Grandmothers are now recognized as community experts and agents of change by governments and international aid agencies. They nurture, feed and put their grandchildren into school. They work to educate their grandchildren about HIV prevention care and treatment, tend to the sick in their communities, help the recently bereaved, set up support groups, harvest the crops, and advocate for women’s rights.” excerpt, Grandmothers Campaign, Stephen Lewis Foundation

Getting Involved to Help: Canadian grandmothers pledge support to African grandmothers

“we have within us everything needed to surmount seemingly insurmountable obstacles. We are strong, we are determined, we are resourceful, we are creative, we are resilient, and we have the wisdom that comes with age and experience.”

So declared African and Canadian grandmothers of the 2006 Gathering just months after the launch of the Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Meeting in Toronto with grandmothers from Sub-Saharan Africa, Canadian grandmothers were deeply moved by the experiences of their counterparts — and by their own capacity to help. In the Toronto Statement, they declared, “We will not rest until they can rest.” There are now 240 Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups across Canada.

The Grandmothers Campaign provides support for grandmothers who, having endured their own children dying of AIDS, are now raising their orphaned grandchildren. Their needs include adequate and nutritious food, health care, bedding, transportation, and school fees and school supplies. The Grandmothers Campaign also supports bereavement counselling and training in HIV/AIDS awareness, parenting and business skills. The objective is to put 90% of the funds raised directly into the hands of front-line organizations in communities.

Oceanside Grandmothers to Grandmothers joins the Campaign

Our own Oceanside Grandmothers to Grandmothers (g2g) group, founded in 2006, was one of the first started across Canada. You can learn more in About usor the other topics in the navigation bar at the top of this page. If you are interested in our activities, you may click on the following link Upcoming events.

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To have the national Granny Bulletin sent regularly to your own email inbox, sign up on the homepage of the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers Campaign. Stay in contact with what is going on with all groups across Canada:http://www.grandmotherscampaign.org/